BARCELONA, Spain--In a keynote address that touched on issues of
integration, openness and, naturally, the important roll Microsoft
plays in the technological age, Steve Ballmer reiterated time and again
his faith in innovation and the new ways technology is helping people
connect with information and each other.

"The companies that
recognize the fundamental importance of innovation have the chance to
gain an advantage," he said. "At the end of the day, the power of ideas
and of innovation will continue to drive us forward."

At the opening of the speech, Ballmer touched on the worldwide economic
crisis, which he termed an "economic reset" that will affect everyone.
He struck an optimistic tone, calling on the audience to be optimistic.
"The chance to continue to make our digital lives even better is right
here," he said. "There's no turning back from the connected world."

More than anything, Ballmer said, consumers want experiences that
extend seamlessly between their work lives and their home lives. He
said the mobile industry is on the cusp of providing those scenarios.
"A new generation of innovation is about to change the way technology
interacts with people," he said. "In the next few years we are going to
take a leap into uncharted territory."

Ballmer highlighted the concurrent trends of increasing ubiquity and
power of digital devices, multi-core processing advancements, "natural"
user interfaces, and a multiplicity of interactive screens. Ballmer
predicted that soon, applications would be able to anticipate not only
what a consumer asked for, but also what a consumer really wanted to
ask for-a key design philosophy behind Nokia's Ovi and Google's Latitude
applications. Perhaps more bombastically, he also predicted
high-definition displays so lightweight and thin they could be rolled
up and stuck in a purse or briefcase.

Transcending the barriers between devices, another major topic of
discussion at this year's congress, also featured prominently in
Ballmer's keynote. He described a world where one pervasive computing
platform would be found on devices as small as a handset or as large as
a data storage center. "We should then be able to connect seamlessly to
people, information and applications, no matter where we are and what
device we are using," he said. "It will allow every person in the world
to access information and participate in the knowledge economy."

An engaging vision of the future, but what does this have to do with
the open mobile ecosystem, the main topic of Ballmer's speech and
following panel discussion? "I agree that no single company can hope to
create all the components that make it possible to provide the
experience customers demand," he said. "We need to work together to
combine the best ideas and technologies."

Ballmer made certain to mention Microsoft's idea of "open" may not
align perfectly with the vision of openness espoused by other
organizations. Not terribly surprising, coming from the man who once
referred to Linux as "a cancer." However, he said he believed that
degrees of openness would be essential in promoting choice and
competition, which he said are the most vigorous drivers of innovation
and technological progress. "Ultimately, the companies that succeed
will be open," he said. "Those forms of openness will provide the kind
of choice that drives these innovations ahead."

Ballmer briefly touched on the lessons he said Microsoft had learned
through engaging in a partner ecosystem relying on cooperation and the
sharing of ideas. He mentioned specifically the challenges of security,
application compatibility and interoperability. "We have grown from the
experiences and learned how to form partnerships to anticipate and
avoid these issues," he said. "We continue to support open networks and
open access."

In closing, Ballmer said all organizations need to build on the lessons
of openness and interoperability to create the kinds of solutions that
are best for consumers as technology moves forward. "That gives our
company and our industry the greatest chance of success," he said. "No
matter what goes on in the economy in the next few years, technology
and innovation is on a forward and exciting upward curve, and I know
we're all excited to be a part of that."